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Don’t let a fear of failure stop you from doing anything whether it’s starting a small business, rolling out a new marketing campaign that will grow your business or ending a bad personal or business relationship. When I get the chance to ask what’s holding you back from what you want to do? People often they respond that they’re afraid of failing – they don’t actually say it in so many words in so many words, but that’s what it boils down to: They say things such as “I’d like to start a small business but I’m not very good at selling” or “I’d like to launch a new website and marketing campaign but it’s not perfect yet. ”Or even, “I’m not happy in my relationship but I’m afraid of being alone.” Get it? The obstacle to starting a small business, launching a new marketing campaign or ending a relationship is not actually about selling or making more money or being alone – it’s fear. Not the fear that saves you from physical harm, such as the fear you feel when you see a huge slavering dog standing in your path or the fear that prevents most of us from shooting over Niagara Falls in a barrel, is a healthy thing. But the kind of fear that prevents you from doing things that you want to do that will enrich you is not a healthy fear. If fear of failure is what is preventing you from starting a small business, or launching a new marketing campaign that will bring you more business, you have to get around it and forge ahead. How can you break your paralysis by analysis? You have to do two things: Prepare to succeed Change your attitude to failure 1) Prepare to Succeed The first thing you need to do to prepare to succeed is to learn how to do it. You already know how to fail. You can fail by doing nothing or you can fail by doing stupid things. But how do you succeed? By finding out exactly what you would need to be successful and ensuring that those needs are met. For instance, suppose that I want to start a small business...
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1. Get to the Point as Quick as Possible Web pages must be designed to facilitate the ease of reading content through the effective use of colors, typography, spacing, etc. What you can do: Get to the point as quickly as possible. Cut out unnecessary information. Use easy-to-understand, shorter, common words and phrases. Avoid long paragraphs and sentences. Use time saving and attention grabbing writing techniques, such using numbers instead of spelling them out. Use “1,000” as opposed to “one thousand,” which facilitates scanning and skimming. 2. Use Headings to Break Up Long Articles Internet readers inspect web pages in blocks and sections, or which is called “block reading.” That is, when we look at a webpage, we tend to see it not as a whole, but rather as compartmentalized chunks of information. We tend to read in blocks, going directly to items that seem to match what we’re actively looking for. What you can do: Before writing a post, consider organizing your thoughts in logical chunks by first outlining what you’ll write. Use simple and concise headings. Use keyword-rich headings to aid skimming, as well as those that use their browser’s search feature (Ctrl + F on Windows, Command + F on Mac). 3. Help Readers Scan Your Web Pages Quickly Web users tend to skim content, so designing and structuring your web pages with skimming in mind can improve usability (as much as 47% according to research). What you can do: Make the first two words count because users tend to read the first few words of headings, titles and links when they’re scanning a webpage. Front-load keywords in webpage titles, headings and links by using the passive voice as an effective writing device. Place important information at the top of your articles. 4. Use Bulleted Lists and Text Formatting Users fixate longer on bulleted lists and text formatting (such as bolding and italics). These text-styling tools can garner attention because of their distinctive appearance as well as help speed up reading by way of breaking down information into discrete parts and highlighting important keywords and phrases. What you can do: Consider breaking up a paragraph into bulleted points. Highlight important information in bold and italics. 5. Use Visuals Strategically Photos,...
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The Top 4 Mistakes NOT to Make on LinkedIn Compared to Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Instagram, LinkedIn really has a special designation: professional networking. And there is a difference between professional and personal networking, I see the same mistakes over and over! And, on LinkedIn, those faux pas can damage your career. In fact, data shows that LinkedIn is especially helpful when it comes to landing higher-paying jobs—”informal recruitment” is a favorite of hiring managers aiming to fill positions up there on the pay-scale. So whether you’re hunting for a new job, making the most of the one you have or just looking to learn about professional possibilities, avoid these four big LinkedIn mistakes: 1. Not Using a Picture One of the biggest mistakes I see is no photo. Do you know that you are seven times more likely to have your profile viewed if you have one? Like a house that’s on sale, the assumption is that if there’s no photo, something’s wrong.If you leave a networking event with a handful of business cards, intending to follow up on LinkedIn, it’s much harder for you to remember who’s who without pictures. A missing photo can easily lead to missed connections. 2. Putting Up the Wrong Picture No dog, no husband, no baby! Your photo is meant to show you at your professional—not personal—best. Especially for mothers getting back into the workforce, a picture of their child doesn’t convey that they’re ready for a full-time job. 3. Another photo blunder Misrepresenting your appearance. I see older people who are worried about age discrimination use a photo of themselves in their 30s, but an interviewer wasn’t expecting them to look so different. And instead of listening to your answers, the interviewer will think you’re deceptive. Unless you’re getting hired for a modeling gig, people are just looking for energy, which you can communicate through great posture, open eyes and a smile. In fact, HSN Beauty found that, when paging through LinkedIn profiles, 19% of recruiters look only at your profile picture. 4. Skipping the Status Between Twitter and Facebook, people have a pretty good idea of what you’re up to socially. But your LinkedIn status is the right place to update your network about your professional accomplishments and progress. You could be updating...
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Words are powerful, Article by Lisa Virkus They can move us, engage our emotions in ways we don’t even realize and persuade us to take a course of action we may not have ordinarily taken. That is why the words you use to help you tell the story of your products and services are so important. They can be the difference between telling and selling, and someone browsing or buying. Fortunately, there are some words and phrases that have been tried and tested to help boost engagement and conversions regardless of your industry. So to help you, here are seven words I’ve found to be extremely effective, regardless of who or what I’m writing about. 1. “You” No word in marketing is, or ever will be, as powerful as the word “you”. The more you can make your marketing about your target audience, and their needs, their problems, their desires and their frustrations the more effective it will be. Remember your potential customer doesn’t care about you – at first anyway, they want to know what is in it for them and how you can solve their challenges and meet their needs like no one else can. With this in mind, one of your main objectives when writing your marketing material should be to use the word “you” as many times as possible. Customer focused words like “you” should appear at least twice as many times as self-focused words like your business name, “we”, “us”, “ours”, “me” or “I”. 2. “Guarantee” When you are willing to back your own product or service with a guarantee, particularly a 100% money back guarantee, you minimize the risk for your customer and give them a sense of safety and security at the time of purchase. Offering a guarantee can also help you persuade your potential customer into feeling like they have nothing to lose and everything to gain by buying from you. 3. “Free” While some marketers over the years have questioned whether the word “free” is still effective in marketing, the fact remains that we all love freebies. The impact of the word, however, depends greatly on what it is linked to. “A free quote” for instance, isn’t a good “free” incentive. Let’s...
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Article by, Mike Hassing of Automotive Subprime Don’t punish your sales team for following the special finance process. With the right compensation plan in place, everybody wins. Once again I find myself sending a dispatch from the road. We have had a very busy year so far, and it’s encouraging to see so many dealers enjoying the fruits of their special finance labors. Setting up a process to handle subprime customers is no easy task. It takes a serious commitment, and that commitment starts with the dealer and extends all the way through the store. Before long, however, commitment can begin to wane. You can usually chalk that up to one of two main causes: The first is a growing stack of contracts in transit, an issue I tackled here last month. The second is a compensation plan that creates winners and losers among the staff. More often than not, the “loser” is an experienced salesperson or F&I manager who is being underpaid for working subprime deals. That discourages the whole sales team from sending customers to the special finance desk and causes the finance office to try to wedge them into a prime structure. I am loath to tell dealers to change their compensation plans. I know how precious those plans are to their staff and how demoralizing it can be to suddenly be asked to play by a new set of rules. That’s why it’s so important to have the right one in place to begin with. But if the existing plan is unworkable, you must be willing to change it. Let’s take a look at four potential sources of conflict between prime and subprime: 1. Playing the Numbers Game Many dealers who are new to subprime will decree that any customer with a “low” credit score must be sent to the special finance manager. This approach is problematic for several reasons. First, where exactly do you draw the line? There’s no magic number that divides prime from subprime. A Chevrolet dealer might say that anything under 450 is special finance. The Jaguar dealer next door might say it’s more like 700. Second, even if there were a clear dividing line, it wouldn’t help you decide how to...
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Video by Entrepreneur If your business still doesn’t have an account on Google+ then you’re most likely missing a big opportunity when it comes to improving how your site appears in Google search results, according to Search Engine Land editor Danny Sullivan. The search engine tracks what happens on Google+, so the number of shares and +1’s your content receives are now appearing in Google’s search results. Also, the more pages you are “friends” with or conntected to, the more likely your business is to show up as a recommended search, Sullivan...
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